Monday, September 23, 2013

Challenge Atlantic City

I have been completely absent from this blog for a while, but the reason(s) are very valid. First, I am totally unable to access this from work; I used to update occasionally in the AM or at lunch. Second, I am far too busy when I get home at night to dedicate an hour, heck even 10 minutes to write down what the heck is going on with me. Lastly, I have been trying to figure out what to do with my athletic endeavors.I supposed I should pick up from about two months ago, kind of where my 2013 race schedule when right down the drain. As I wrote a while back, I suffered a pretty bad sprained ankle while playing in what is now my official last soccer game. It was probably the worst ankle injury that I have ever dealt with, far worse than any sprain I had ever had. It has taken a while for what the doctor said to really sink in and for me to come to my own realization about what I need to do. It comes down to me being happy and at what cost to my health. Here is what I have decided, if I stop running I will be miserable. My wife will then be miserable and my kids will wonder why mommy and daddy are miserable. Also, if I stop running I will get fat which will lead me to be miserable...and so forth and so on. The reality is that I need to be active, yes I can ride my bike and swim, but I also need to run. So what is my solution? First, I need to lose weight to limit the impact that my ankle endures with every step. Second, I need to make swimming and biking my focus, running will have to come third. Lastly, listen to my body, if something hurts rest.Alright, so I have addressed my bad ankle. Now for what I a somewhat big announcement...I have signed up for Challenge Atlantic City!!! It is a mere two hours from my home and close to where a ton of my friends have shore houses. This race is Challenge-Family's first race in the USA, having had tremendous success in Europe for years.

For those of you who are unaware, Challenge-Family is a global series of long distance triathlons, being very similar to the Ironman brand, but different. Challenge Roth is probably their most notable race, regularly drawing the best triathletes in the world, the biggest crowds (over 400,000 fans) and super fast times. Their goal is to break in to the US market and grow their business to compete against Ironman, which I am all for (competition is a good thing!).I have laid out my training plan which will officially kick off the second week of December. As for right now I am going to be building my base so that when the plan kicks off, I am a lean mean triathlon machine! I am pretty fired up for this race!I suppose that last thing to speak about is my job situation. Ugh, I am not in a good place with regard to my job. I should be thankful that I have a job, right? With that said, I am really not happy doing what I am doing. I want a change. I have had a couple close calls over the past eight months or so, but nothing has come to fruition as of yet. I am hoping to hear something tomorrow or later on this week about a great opportunity as well as an other one that could open up in October. My fingers are crossed, I really want to be happy in my career.That is it for now....it is getting late and this is already too long. I hope to be writing on this more often in the coming months. Oh, if anyone else out there is doing Challenge Atlantic City let me know. Cheers!

I want a change in the job department also, but happy that I have a career! I have been insanely busy! But, as i just wrote in my post, I signed up to do the swim portion of the race in AC too! We should definitely meet up for some rides and runs in the spring. Take care of yourself.

I stumbled on your blog and instantly identified with where you are right now. The lull between seasons promotes a sense of being stuck and for some reason injuries seem to mount with the cut back of activities. My advice before your December training start time...switch gears and get focused on base and core...Reading your Blog reminded me that's what i should be doing to get un-stuck myself... Good Luck...Thinking about Atlantic city myself..as my 1st Long Distance race.. Fergy

About Me

This is the story of how a 40 year old married, father of two young girls embarked on a journey to compete in Ironman Arizona 2010. It was an endeavor that I never would have even thought of attempting three years ago. I succeeded with the support of my family and friends. My journey continues on.